Jump to content
IGNORED

I Weighed 100 Golf Balls and Here's What I Found

davidrichards
 Share
Note: This thread is 1597 days old. We appreciate that you found this thread instead of starting a new one, but if you plan to post here please make sure it's still relevant. If not, please start a new topic. Thank you!

Recommended Posts

Bonvivant Great Member

Bonvivant

40 minutes ago, TRUCKER said:

🤔...This concerns me a little. I have 200+ prov1/prov1x/avx, and another 100+ tour level balls, (bridgestone, tm, snell, Srixon, etc), that I've found. They're like brand new, but who knows how old. Also, I will play the same ball 100 +/- holes sometimes until I lose it, or bruise it. Are you saying I could be losing 10-15 yards playing these used/old age balls as opposed to starting with a brand new ball every round?

Thats the idea. It depends on how much mass is missing from the ball, and how bad the dimples are. The OP didn't make it clear as to how bad the lowest quality balls were though. The grooves on irons and wedges would create the most mass/dimple loss.

One of the interesting things about this is that it is untestable on a LM because its looking at speeds, spins etc. And has no clue how much mass the ball has. I'm sure that there is a set "mass" in the simulator software. It would be interesting to see a LM setup with a scale for the ball, that corrects the physics in the sim for the exact ball that you have.

As far as water wear, I don't think you would lose much mass just sitting around in a pond, so those results aren't surprising to me.

BTW I'm not a golf ball scientist or physicist or anything. I'm just applying logic to the problem and numbers could be inaccurate. One of the reason I am so sure that an older ball won't fly as far as a new one is the same reason that a golf ball doesn't fly as far on a 0C day than on a 30C day. Density of the air vs mass of the ball (+aerodynamics) 

  • :titleist: 917 D2 9.5o EvenFlow blue shaft    :titleist: 917 F2 15o EvenFlow blue shaft    
  • :titleist: 818 H2 19o EvenFlow blue shaft 
  • :titleist: 712 AP2 4-PW
  • :vokey: 52/8o SM6 RAW    56/14o SM6 Chrome      60/4o SM6 Chrome
  • :ping: Anser Sigma G putter
  • :snell: MTB-Black Balls
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Awards, Achievements, and Accolades
1
1
1

  • Replies 61
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

Popular Days

Top Posters In This Topic

Popular Days

Popular Posts

dennyjones
dennyjones

I got a response from Dr Thomas Raffel.   Copied directly from my email.   Dear Mr. Jones,   Yes, a student of mine (Patrick Long, copied) did an experiment last year, testing effects

Typhoon92
Typhoon92

Wow, you are wicked bored!  LOL

Typhoon92
Typhoon92

Well there’s an image I won’t get out of my head for a while...especially looking at Don Knotts while reading it!  LOL!

Bonvivant Great Member

Bonvivant

3 minutes ago, TRUCKER said:

Found another test done on used balls (not water balls) vs. new. Again no difference in distance or performance. 

Tested on a LM? Because that will not account for mass or aerodynamics. 

  • :titleist: 917 D2 9.5o EvenFlow blue shaft    :titleist: 917 F2 15o EvenFlow blue shaft    
  • :titleist: 818 H2 19o EvenFlow blue shaft 
  • :titleist: 712 AP2 4-PW
  • :vokey: 52/8o SM6 RAW    56/14o SM6 Chrome      60/4o SM6 Chrome
  • :ping: Anser Sigma G putter
  • :snell: MTB-Black Balls
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Awards, Achievements, and Accolades
1
1
1

Bonvivant Great Member

Bonvivant

1 minute ago, TRUCKER said:

What difference does it make? The results are the only thing that matters.

The difference is that the LM will not show the types of things that would cause a loss of distance. The balls will have the same compression and similar spin rates (maybe a couple hundred rpms less from a mid iron). The air will slow a ball with less mass down faster than a full mass ball.

If you are still playing well with the ball, then keep playing it, but know that it is possible that you are losing distance due to insufficient mass/reduced aerodynamics from dimple wear. 

  • :titleist: 917 D2 9.5o EvenFlow blue shaft    :titleist: 917 F2 15o EvenFlow blue shaft    
  • :titleist: 818 H2 19o EvenFlow blue shaft 
  • :titleist: 712 AP2 4-PW
  • :vokey: 52/8o SM6 RAW    56/14o SM6 Chrome      60/4o SM6 Chrome
  • :ping: Anser Sigma G putter
  • :snell: MTB-Black Balls
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Awards, Achievements, and Accolades
1
1
1

  • Administrator
iacas Hall of Fame Member

iacas

  • Administrator
10 minutes ago, TRUCKER said:

What difference does it make? The results are the only thing that matters.

As @Bonvivant said, launch monitors will often read the first 30 or 40 yards of a ball's flight and calculate the rest.

Erik J. Barzeski — ⛳ I knock a ball. It goes in a gopher hole. 🏌🏼‍♂️
Director of Instruction Golf Evolution • Owner, The Sand Trap .com • Author, Lowest Score Wins
Golf Digest "Best Young Teachers in America" 2016-17 & "Best in State" 2017-20 • WNY Section PGA Teacher of the Year 2019 :edel: :true_linkswear:

Check Out: New Topics | TST Blog | Golf Terms | Instructional Content | Analyzr | LSW | Instructional Droplets

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Awards, Achievements, and Accolades
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1

Bonvivant Great Member

Bonvivant

3 minutes ago, TRUCKER said:

Ok I see what your saying now. But wouldn't that mean a LM gives false reads then?

Yes when it comes to a result that is accurate to real life application. Launch monitors are great for tuning to optimize launch conditions, hence the name. They are also good for realizing increases in speed, and improvment in distance based on launch. 

  • :titleist: 917 D2 9.5o EvenFlow blue shaft    :titleist: 917 F2 15o EvenFlow blue shaft    
  • :titleist: 818 H2 19o EvenFlow blue shaft 
  • :titleist: 712 AP2 4-PW
  • :vokey: 52/8o SM6 RAW    56/14o SM6 Chrome      60/4o SM6 Chrome
  • :ping: Anser Sigma G putter
  • :snell: MTB-Black Balls
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Awards, Achievements, and Accolades
1
1
1

Bonvivant Great Member

Bonvivant

46 minutes ago, iacas said:

As @Bonvivant said, launch monitors will often read the first 30 or 40 yards of a ball's flight and calculate the rest.

They can't even read that if you are indoors. The net/screen is never more than 5-10 yards away at places I've seen

  • :titleist: 917 D2 9.5o EvenFlow blue shaft    :titleist: 917 F2 15o EvenFlow blue shaft    
  • :titleist: 818 H2 19o EvenFlow blue shaft 
  • :titleist: 712 AP2 4-PW
  • :vokey: 52/8o SM6 RAW    56/14o SM6 Chrome      60/4o SM6 Chrome
  • :ping: Anser Sigma G putter
  • :snell: MTB-Black Balls
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Awards, Achievements, and Accolades
1
1
1

dennyjones Incredible Member

dennyjones

2 hours ago, TRUCKER said:

Ok I googled it and found an answer. There's basically no difference in performance of a brand new ball, tested against a ball that was recovered from a water hazard. They tested balls that were placed in the water for 1/3/5 months. Then tested them against a brand new version and found "maybe" a 1% difference. The balls used in this independent research were prov1.

I can't be the definitive response but I once purchased used  AAAA Taylormade balls from Amazon.   There was a very noticable difference. I will only play with a new golf ball.

From the land of perpetual cloudiness.   I'm Denny

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Awards, Achievements, and Accolades
1
1
1
1
1

  • Administrator
iacas Hall of Fame Member

iacas

  • Administrator
57 minutes ago, Bonvivant said:

They can't even read that if you are indoors. The net/screen is never more than 5-10 yards away at places I've seen

I know. 🙂

Erik J. Barzeski — ⛳ I knock a ball. It goes in a gopher hole. 🏌🏼‍♂️
Director of Instruction Golf Evolution • Owner, The Sand Trap .com • Author, Lowest Score Wins
Golf Digest "Best Young Teachers in America" 2016-17 & "Best in State" 2017-20 • WNY Section PGA Teacher of the Year 2019 :edel: :true_linkswear:

Check Out: New Topics | TST Blog | Golf Terms | Instructional Content | Analyzr | LSW | Instructional Droplets

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Awards, Achievements, and Accolades
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1

Bonvivant Great Member

Bonvivant

(edited)
Just now, iacas said:

I know. 🙂

Wasn't trying to question you. Just figured that most people that get a chance to get on LMs are doing it indoors, so it is rarely reading the first 30 yards, even if the monitor is capable. Do you have a certain time that you retire a ball? New one each round? Just curious. I lose far too many to be picky, personally, although there is a professional 90 that is lurking in my bag at the moment and I always avoid it, lol.

Edited by Bonvivant
spelling
  • :titleist: 917 D2 9.5o EvenFlow blue shaft    :titleist: 917 F2 15o EvenFlow blue shaft    
  • :titleist: 818 H2 19o EvenFlow blue shaft 
  • :titleist: 712 AP2 4-PW
  • :vokey: 52/8o SM6 RAW    56/14o SM6 Chrome      60/4o SM6 Chrome
  • :ping: Anser Sigma G putter
  • :snell: MTB-Black Balls
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Awards, Achievements, and Accolades
1
1
1

Bonvivant Great Member

Bonvivant

(edited)

@TRUCKER 

6554b6be8c0d829a8bf63ae0c82cf121_link.pn How Do Used Golf Balls Perform vs New?

Research by Oakland University researchers shows that the...

 

This article shows significant loss from pond balls. Just because they say almost identical doesn't mean it is. 14 yards of total distance is at least a club for anyone. Semi off topic but shows you what can happen

Edited by Bonvivant
  • :titleist: 917 D2 9.5o EvenFlow blue shaft    :titleist: 917 F2 15o EvenFlow blue shaft    
  • :titleist: 818 H2 19o EvenFlow blue shaft 
  • :titleist: 712 AP2 4-PW
  • :vokey: 52/8o SM6 RAW    56/14o SM6 Chrome      60/4o SM6 Chrome
  • :ping: Anser Sigma G putter
  • :snell: MTB-Black Balls
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Awards, Achievements, and Accolades
1
1
1

Asheville Great Member

Asheville

4 hours ago, TRUCKER said:

A PHD from Michigan ran the study. It seems pretty legit. I get your point though.

Some time ago, PHDs told us that smoking cigarettes was good for us.

"Age improves with wine."
 
Wishon 919THI 11*
Wishon 925HL 4w
Wishon 335HL 3h & 4h
Wishon 755pc 5i, 6i, 7i, 8i & 9i
Tad Moore 485 PW
Callaway X 54*
Ping G2 Anser C
Callaway SuperSoft
Titleist StaDry
Kangaroo Hillcrest AB
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Administrator
iacas Hall of Fame Member

iacas

  • Administrator
1 hour ago, Bonvivant said:

@TRUCKER 

6554b6be8c0d829a8bf63ae0c82cf121_link.pn How Do Used Golf Balls Perform vs New?

Research by Oakland University researchers shows that the...

This article shows significant loss from pond balls. Just because they say almost identical doesn't mean it is. 14 yards of total distance is at least a club for anyone. Semi off topic but shows you what can happen

Did you link to the right study? I don't see what you're seeing.

Erik J. Barzeski — ⛳ I knock a ball. It goes in a gopher hole. 🏌🏼‍♂️
Director of Instruction Golf Evolution • Owner, The Sand Trap .com • Author, Lowest Score Wins
Golf Digest "Best Young Teachers in America" 2016-17 & "Best in State" 2017-20 • WNY Section PGA Teacher of the Year 2019 :edel: :true_linkswear:

Check Out: New Topics | TST Blog | Golf Terms | Instructional Content | Analyzr | LSW | Instructional Droplets

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Awards, Achievements, and Accolades
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1

TRUCKER Well Established Member

TRUCKER

1 hour ago, Bonvivant said:

@TRUCKER 

6554b6be8c0d829a8bf63ae0c82cf121_link.pn How Do Used Golf Balls Perform vs New?

Research by Oakland University researchers shows that the...

 

This article shows significant loss from pond balls. Just because they say almost identical doesn't mean it is. 14 yards of total distance is at least a club for anyone. Semi off topic but shows you what can happen

The biggest difference in performance from all the pond ball testing I referenced was 1 yard. Most were 1/2 yard or less. It was done from the same school you're referencing. So I don't know where you found that.

48 minutes ago, iacas said:

Did you link to the right study? I don't see what you're seeing.

👌

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Awards, Achievements, and Accolades
1
1

dennyjones Incredible Member

dennyjones

Well now I went and done it.  I emailed Dr. Thomas Raffel asking about the study.  I linked to this thread.   

 

From what I saw, it was just an advertisement for waterlogged golf balls.  

From the land of perpetual cloudiness.   I'm Denny

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Awards, Achievements, and Accolades
1
1
1
1
1

Note: This thread is 1597 days old. We appreciate that you found this thread instead of starting a new one, but if you plan to post here please make sure it's still relevant. If not, please start a new topic. Thank you!

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share
Go to topic listing


  • Want to join this community?

    We'd love to have you!

    Sign Up

  • TST Partners

    TourStriker PlaneMate
    Golfer's Journal
    ShotScope
    The Stack System
    FlightScope Mevo
    Direct: Mevo, Mevo+, and Pro Package.

    Coupon Codes (save 10-15%): "IACAS" for Mevo/Stack, "IACASPLUS" for Mevo+/Pro Package, and "THESANDTRAP" for ShotScope.

  • Posts

    • DaHolla
      "5 Minutes Daily" Practice Challenge

      By DaHolla ·

      Day 111 - Worked on my grip and higher hands in the backswing. Full swings with the PRGR. 
    • retoid
      A Novice Journey to Building a Bag. (Help Appreciated)

      By retoid ·

      First off please forgive me if this is not a proper post or not in the proper location, still learning the ropes around here. Second, it's important that I mention I am very new to the game with only about 10 rounds of golf under my belt, most being 9 holes. Only this year have I started playing 18. That being said, I am hooked, love the game and am very eager to learn and improve. To give you an idea of my skill, the last 2 18 rounds I played were 110 and 105. Not great at all, however I am slowly improving as I learn. Had been having bad slicing issues with the driver and hybrids but after playing some more and hitting the range, I've been able to improve on that quite a bit and have been hitting more straight on average. Irons have always come easier to me as far as hitting straight for some reason. Wedges have needed a lot of improvement, but I practice chipping about 20-30 mins about 3-5 times a week and that's helped a lot. Today I went to the range and started to note down some distance data, mind you I am averaging the distances based off my best guess compared to the distance markers on the range. I do not currently own a range finder or tracker. From reading some similar posts I do understand that filling gaps is ideal, but I am having a some issues figuring out those gaps and understanding which clubs to keep and remove as some gaps are minimal between clubs. Below is an image of the chart I put together showing the clubs and average distances I've been hitting and power applied. For some reason I am hitting my hybrids around the same distances and I am not sure why. Wondering if one of them should be removed. I didn't notice a huge loft difference either. The irons I have are hand me downs from my grandfather and after playing with them a bit, I feel like they're just not giving me what could potentially be there. The feel is a bit hard/harsh and underwhelming if that makes sense and I can't seem to get decent distances from them. Wondering if I should be looking to invest in some more updated irons and if those should be muscle backs or cavity backs? My knowledge here is minimal. I have never played with modern fairway woods, only the classic clubs that are actually wood and much smaller than modern clubs. I recently removed the 4 and 5 woods from my bag as I was never using them and I don't hit them very well or very far. Wondering if I should look into some more modern fairway wood options? I appreciate any feedback or advice anyone is willing to give, please forgive my lack of knowledge. I am eager to learn! Thank you.  
    • snapfade
      Is This Club Blatantly Sandbagging?

      By snapfade ·

      I would think that 3 in a row with the same players might get some behind the scenes examination from the SCGA if they were suspect.  Are there any clubs questioning the results?
    • iacas
      Is This Club Blatantly Sandbagging?

      By iacas ·

      What simple fact? A golf match is not a coin flip — there is a fact for you. I'm trying to help you, and you're throwing out what could easily be called sour grapes. Come with FACTS, not weak analogies. Then you've got nothing. Hopefully they've done a better job of making their case. 😛 
    • Big C
      Is This Club Blatantly Sandbagging?

      By Big C ·

      It's pretty close. The odds of a 50/50 shot going your way 21 times are greater than 1 in a million!  I guess your point is, that simple fact is not enough to declare these guys dirty rotten sandbaggers. I disagree, but fair enough. I posted it here on the message board to get different perspectives, after all.  I probably won't be digging further into specific scores. I have no dog in this fight beyond a generalized contempt for sandbagging. With that said, it would not surprise if a lot of clubs shared my concern and were grousing about it to the SCGA.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

Welcome to TST! Signing up is free, and you'll see fewer ads and can talk with fellow golf enthusiasts! By using TST, you agree to our Terms of Use, our Privacy Policy, and our Guidelines.

  I accept
The popup will be closed in 10 seconds...